I come back to this recipe every Autumn. This is everything you need to know to make my variation of Shepherd’s Pie. It definitely isn’t the traditional way to make this recipe, but it’s delicious all the same.
The Simple Ingredients:
I always try to get my hands on fresh rosemary for this dish – it makes the world’s difference. By all means, you can use dry herbs too, but that’s just my preference when it comes to shepherd’s pie.
Sun-dried tomato paste – an essential in my store cupboard – also brings out a beautiful flavour with this pie.
I always top the pie with cheese – using cheddar and parmesan. They’re my favourites. Feel free to use your favourite cheese, whatever that may be.
How to make my shepherd's pie?
Boil the potatoes until cooked through. The time they take to cook depends on the size of the potatoes, I cooked mine for 35 minutes. Drain the potatoes and leave them to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C/356F. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, peppers and garlic, and sauté for 10 mins over a medium heat.
Add the lamb mince and the boiling water to the pan and use a wooden spoon or spatula to break it up. Cook until well browned and all of the water has been evaporated, stirring regularly.
Add the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, black pepper, thyme, rosemary and 1 tsp of the salt. Mix everything together well, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 mins, stirring from time to time.
Crush the potatoes with a potato masher or a fork until smooth. Add the remaining salt and olive oil, and mix until fluffy and well blended.
Pour the lamb mixture into an oven-proof casserole dish, 22cm x 17cm. Spoon the mashed potato on top and use a fork to spread it around, sealing in the meat. It may be easier to do this by hand, rolling the potato into balls and pressing on top of the mince to cover the top of the dish.
Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the potato is crisp and golden on top. You can freeze the pie too! Once the dish has cooled completely, transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Rose's Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 250 g lamb mince
- 1 onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- a few twigs of rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 baking potatoes
- 150 ml boiling water
- 50g cheddar
- a sprinkle of parmesan
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes until cooked through, for around 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and leave them to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, peppers and garlic, and sauté for 10 mins over a medium heat.
- Add the lamb mince and the boiling water to the pan and use a wooden spoon or spatula to break it up. Cook until well browned and all of the water has been evaporated, stirring regularly.
- Add the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, black pepper, thyme, rosemary and 1 tsp of the salt. Mix everything together well, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 mins, stirring from time to time.
- Crush the potatoes with a potato masher or a fork until smooth. Add the remaining salt and olive oil, and mix until fluffy and well blended.
- Pour the lamb mixture into an oven-proof casserole dish. Spoon the mashed potato on top and use a fork to spread it around, sealing in the meat.
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the potato is crisp and golden on top. Enjoy!